Study finds fraud up 800% in-app

When more ad dollars were pushed into mobile, the fraudsters followed. That's the word from DoubleVerify. Researchers with their Fraud Lab found an 800% increase in attempted in-app fraud over the past 12 months.

This, despite the fact that overall ad fraud has seen a distinct decrease during the same time period. The rapid increase is likely because fraudsters are just now moving into mobile, following that influx of ad dollars. Fraudsters are using app spoofing, hidden ads, and are even hijacking mobile devices to defraud consumers and advertisers.

"Third-party verification has successfully reduced desktop digital ad fraud to low single digits. Now with mobile apps commanding more than 50% of a consumer's time online, advertiser demand for quality mobile inventory has swelled," said DoubleVerify. "In return, we've seen an 800% increase of in-app ad fraud. Expect that in-app ad fraud will continue to accelerate as fraud follows the money."

To help stem the flow of fraud, DoubleVerify is working in tandem with InMobi, making their "always on" fraud filtering and measurement services available to InMobi's Exchange.

"DV's partnership with InMobi demonstrates our commitment to provide consistent, comprehensive quality coverage for global brand advertisers," said Matt McLaughlin, COO at DoubleVerify. "With ad spend increasingly concentrated in mobile, it's imperative that brands have transparency into the quality of mobile app inventory. We are proud of our partnership with InMobi, which expands the footprint of our fraud prevention capabilities and further distinguishes DV as the leader for mobile app verification."